They're Among Us!
by Steel Kiba
Summary: A short three-parter set after the events of Onegai! Teacher. Kei, Mizuho, and the gang go out for a nighttime adventure after watching stories of alien encounters on TV. They'll draw close to each other, and maybe to some mischievous visitors! Keizuho, Hyokaede, and Koitagu.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi All! If you've never read any of my work before, welcome! If you have, yes, this is a new choice for me! I recently discovered** ** _Onegai! Teacher_** **and it has become one of my recent favorites. Yes, there are some drawbacks that hold the show back from being five-star from a critical perspective (occasional B-level English dubbing, especially at a couple of key scenes, the alien concept needing to be explored more), but what works** ** _really_** **works, and that for me is most of the humor and its core essence. This show has a good fantasy premise anchored by raw emotion, intriguing psychological and emotional themes, and one of the sweetest and most genuine romances I've seen in any anime, show, or movie. I hope I capture the true feeling of the material, some laughs, and the inherent (but loveable) schmaltz it has to offer.**

"Cheers!"

The seven people in the room collectively clinked and raised their drinking glasses, then all took hearty swigs of their sweet beverages.

"Hoo boy, that's good stuff!" Hyosuke remarked, letting his body shudder as his drink sent tingles throughout his limbs. "I could drink it every day."

Kaede raised an eyebrow at him and roughly rubbed her knuckles into the boy's blonde-haired head. "It's just Ramune, Hyosuke," she said with a smirk. "And you _do_ drink it every day."

"But being with all my friends like this makes it that much better," Hyosuke chuckled, reaching his left arm around the redhead and pulling her close, whispering, "and that much sweeter."

The two smiled at each other, and everyone else—Kei, Mizuho, Matagu, Ichigo, and Koishi—started laughing.

"Ever the romantic, Mr. Magumo," Mizuho said, closing her eyes. She took another sip of her drink and draped an arm over the back of her living room couch.

Kei also smiled. He hadn't felt so happy in quite a long time. He quietly sidled up to their homeroom teacher and said, "It's the theme of this group, after all."

He and Mizuho slowly inched their hands toward each other, when Ichigo interjected, "Even more so for you two, huh teacher's pet?"

Both Kei and Mizuho jerked back, their cheeks shifting from light pink to beet red.

"Wha…wha…what?!" Kei sputtered, jerking his head and making his glasses nearly slip off of his face.

"Ms. Morino," Mizuho gasped in a slight authoritative tone. "You shouldn't make comments like that!"

Ichigo just stared at the couple on the couch, keeping her tone deadpan and her gaze unwavering. "But you are husband and wife. And I bet Kei likes to be petted."

Mizuho opened her mouth to retort, but Kei clasped her shoulder and said, "Yeah, ha ha, funny, Ichigo. But we're not like that."

Mizuho looked over at Kei. She was furrowing her brow and clenching her fists so hard they were turning as white as her light sweater.

Koishi giggled at the scene and said, "Aw, come on now, guys. Let's not make fun of each other today."

Matagu, who was sitting right next to Koishi on the carpet connecting his computer to the flat-screen TV, nodded as he opened a bag of potato chips and drew one out to chomp on. Hyosuke laughed and quietly said, "Not too much, anyway," prompting a high-five from Matagu, a chuckle from Koishi, and a playful slap to the back of the head from Kaede.

"You know, I'm still your teacher, _guys,"_ Mizuho said crossly. "You'd best mind your manners.

"Of course, _Ms. Kazami_ ," Hyosuke conceded, bowing his head and reaching into the chip bag, chewing as he talked. "We don't want to disrespect our gracious hostess."

"Mrs. Kusanagi," Ichigo reminded.

Koishi shrugged one shoulder and said, "I think her maiden name sounds better," prompting Kaede to say, "I agree." The Herikawas' daughter quickly spun around in her seat and gritted her teeth for just a second, but Matagu noticed and quietly sighed.

Kei stifled another laugh. He also liked Mizuho's maiden name a bit more than his own when he thought of her.

"But yeah, everyone," he began. "Let's get to the fun! School's out for now! What did you want to show us, Matagu?"

Matagu instantly took his eyes off of Koishi and went back to the wires, pulling some off of his dark school coat.

"Well," he started, his soft voice rising bit with excitement, "Tonight's Movie Night is gonna be a double feature. I've been watching a lot of documentaries on space activity, astrology, and our old friends the UFOs lately so I can truly find them one day. So I've got some stuff on aliens."

"Hey, cool!" Hyosuke exclaimed, pumping his fist. "You got the one where the aliens race the Formula-1 drivers at the volcano?"

"When don't I?" Matagu quipped, selecting the film on his computer.

Kei and Mizuho felt chills run down their spines and cold sweat down the back of their necks at the talk of extraterrestrials. That's when Hyosuke gripped Kei by the collar of his green t-shirt and yanked him to the ground, saying, "Come on, Kei! Get back in the guy pit!" Ichigo then stood up from her spot on the soft floor, adjusted her blue boy-shorts, and went to join the teacher on the couch. She looked at Mizuho and smiled, and the partial-alien returned the expression.

"Whoa, that one sure looks friendly!"

A green, goblin-like alien appeared on-screen, baring its fanged jowls and pressing the throttle of its spaceship toward the Earth, lurching the craft forward in the abyss of space.

The group in the Kusanagi living space talked and ate and carried on, but not everyone was happy. Far away, another Kazami was watching the festivities, keeping an eye on the movie and everyone's reactions via sophisticated surveillance gear.

Maho Kazami tapped her foot on the steel floor of the cockpit of the family spacecraft. She saw Kaede pointing at creatures on the TV and laughing along with the boys, Kei having made the earlier comment. She then slammed her foot on the floor and reached for the controls, her eyes burning and a growl escaping her throat.

"What a mockery!" she screamed. "I'll show them!"


	2. Chapter 2

"You jerks! You ignorant creatures!"

Maho stomped her small feet over and over on the metal floor of the ship, pulling at her hair. As she carried on, Miruru quietly floated behind the little alien girl, cocking her head to the left, her mouth open in amazement.

"Maho, what seems to be troubling you?"

The youngest of the Kazami females slammed her fists on the ship's control panels, paying no attention to her mother, Hatsuho, coming up behind her. The craft lurched even faster toward Earth, but was soon stabilized as Hatsuho quickly pressed a few circular buttons on one of the panels. Everything became still, but Maho continued her tantrum.

"Just look at 'em, Mother! Look at 'em! Look at 'em! Look at 'em!" the girl shrieked, her face glowing red in contrast with her deep blue hair. She pointed to the surveillance screen. Kei, Mizuho, and everyone else were chewing on food, sipping drinks, and having a great time as they watched the alien movie.

"Go get him, you speed demon!" Koishi yelled as the racer on screen jockeyed for position with the alien he was barreling around the volcano with. The driver and the extraterrestrial on the TV screen eyed each other with glares and bared teeth as they fought.

"I don't get it, sweetie," Hatsuho remarked, flipping a strand of her long pink hair behind the silver sleeves of her spacesuit. "They're just watching some kind of movie."

Maho began to growl even louder than before, making Miruru move back to the ceiling, shivering. The little technological marvel covered her eyes with a pale arm, not wanting to see the girl blow up even more.

"They're making fun of beings from other worlds…" Maho said through clenched teeth. Indeed, everyone in the Kusanagis' apartment was smiling and chuckling to some degree as the film played. Maho raised a pink-dress-covered arm to the screen and pointed at a happy-looking Mizuho. "And look at my sister, Mother… She's just going right along with it! I knew that Kei was up to _no_ good, brainwashing her like that! They're probably laughing at us when we aren't around, like we're those three-headed serpents from the Zeta Kappa Galaxy! "

Hatsuho just giggled. _"So much to learn."_

 _"Excuse me, Mother…"_

"Relax, Maho," the matriarch said, putting a soft hand on her daughter's shoulder. "There may be many insensitive and prejudiced people on Earth, but I've seen many others like Kei and his friends, and they are so kind. In fact," she pointed to Matagu, who was occasionally shifting a look to Koishi and then to the others, then back to the screen again. "they want to meet and welcome visitors from distant places. And by the way, we're meeting the delegation from the ZK Galaxy again next week. Think they'll like knowing you wouldn't want to be compared to them?"

"Ah, they're fine, of course," Maho replied, waving her mother off. She then shook her head and shouted, "I won't hear it! I won't! They're just carrying on, not knowing our real might!"

Hatsuho kept smiling and kept watching the surveillance screen. She saw Kei, Hyosuke, Matagu, Koishi, and Kaede on the floor while Ichigo and Mizuho sat on the couch. Mizuho could be seen touching her feet to her husband's while both of them stifled giggles, and Hyosuke was cradling Kaede to his chest with one arm. Ichigo couldn't stop grinning, but the same could not be said for the other two kids, who glanced at each other with heavy eyes and pursed lips. In the corner of the room, Marie watched everything going on, chomping on a stick of Pochy; Miruru's cheeks glowed as she saw him.

 _"Looks like it's up to Mom again,"_ Hatsuho thought to herself.

"I think you just want to see Mizuho and Kei, honey," the alien woman said to Maho, closing her eyes and pressing forward on the controls. The spaceship then began to gradually move toward Planet Earth. "Why don't we pay them a visit?"

Maho's angry expression suddenly left her in a moment of surprise, then her forehead wrinkled and her eyes half-closed again. This time, her mouth was curled in a mischievous smile.

"They want scary, huh?" she whispered. "I'll show 'em scary…"

As soon as the movie's credits appeared on the screen, Matagu reached into a black case, pulling out a single DVD and placing it in his computer's disk drive.

"That was a pretty cool movie. How are we gonna top that?" Kei asked. He patted his friend's shoulder and slapped five with Matagu as he traded places with Ichigo, grinned at Kei and made him blush.

"It was pretty funny," Mizuho said. She leaned her head on Kei's shoulder and kissed his cheek. She then whispered, "Those aliens did look like some old friends from the Gamma System."

Kei ran a hand through his mop of blonde hair, kissed his wife back, and replied, "I wonder if the director knew about…"

"Uh…"

The two on the couch, and everyone else in the room, focused on Kaede, who hid her eyes behind the blue kerchief on her white shirt. Ominous music began to play as Matagu's next selection began to play.

"I've seen this show…" she muttered. "It's super scary!"

" _Unsolved Mysteries?"_ Kei spoke, adjusting his glasses as the stark purple and white letters came across the screen. "I don't know what this is."

"It's an American show from years back," Koishi explained. She shifted in her seat on the carpet, getting just an inch closer to Matagu, who was all smiles now. "It investigated everything from hidden treasure to crime…"

"To UFOs!" Matagu shouted, jamming a fist in the air. "And after we see some of these stories about close encounters, we'll sure be in the mood to go alien hunting at the lake tonight!"

This caught everyone's attention and garnered several looks: nervous smiles from Kei, Mizuho, and Marie; a gasp from Kaede, a wide grin from Hyosuke, and a small smile from Koishi.

"I guess you were right, Hyosuke," Ichigo piped up, her face as neutral as ever. "This must be the goal he had a goal to make."

Hyosuke let out a short laugh and answered with a chipper voice, "Sure sounds like it! This could be a hoot!"

Before Hyosuke could get another word in, Robert Stack, the show's host, walked in from the shadows, ready to address the audience with his low, ice-cold voice. Hyosuke took one look at the man on the TV and froze.

"Fun…" he quietly said, chills running down his spine.

"Yup," Matagu replied, rubbing his hands together with glee.

Unbeknownst to everyone at the Kusanagi's place, a sparkling column of white light cut through the darkness outside, revealing Maho and Miruru. A shoulder bag slung over her left shoulder, the little girl dug into a pocket and took a look at a miniature version of the surveillance screens on the ship. She was able to see everything going on in the apartment, and she giggled when she saw the viewers shudder as the program played.

 _"This is going to be what I call fun,"_ she told herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Crickets chirped, filling to the empty darkness outside. As the insects played their familiar song, quiet metallic thumps added to the music. The group of seven had stepped out of the Kusanagis' home and were silently going down the staircases of the apartment complex.

"Man, I am so jacked up!" Matagu cried, thrusting his arms in front of him as they all reached the bottom. "There's no telling what we're going to find!"

Hyosuke, who would generally add an affirmative comment to support his friend, was speechless. He shuddered as he walked behind Matagu, who was leading everyone, and kept his hands in the pockets of his blue shorts. Meanwhile, Kaede clutched his left arm as tightly as Hyosuke was clenching his fists, her face pale as a white cloud.

"I don't know, Matagu…" she quietly said. "I don't want those things to scrape my skin off… You're crazy…"

"It'll just be a little bit, Kaede," Ichigo added, shrugging her shoulders. "Those guys in the Allagash mountains didn't die."

Koishi grinned and nudged Matagu as she walked beside him. "It's just a show to me. Maybe we'll find the racing types."

Matagu chuckled, and Hyosuke shook his head, his whole body still shuddering. "Ain't no way I'm getting naked in front of those aliens. No way!"

The friends turned in the direction of the lake. Kei and Mizuho kept to the rear, hanging back on the sidewalk. Kei turned to Mizuho and asked, "Those aliens from the documentary show, honey, are they real?"

Mizuho cocked her head to the side. "No idea. I've seen several species with ovoid heads, but of all of them, the ones that have come to Earth have just taken soil samples or examined the atmosphere. Nothing bad."

Kei smiled and ran his hand around his wife's waist, squeezing just a bit; everyone was moving down the way, not noticing that they were gone. Mizuho returned the gesture, and the two leaned in and locked their lips. There was always time for a hug or a kiss.

"Hey there, lovebirds!"

The two turned to see a bearded man behind them, smiling and wearing nothing but his boxers and a pair of slippers. Mizuho gasped and turned her head away yelling, "Minoru, what are you doing?!"

Kei's uncle laughed and threw an arm around Kei, bringing the nephew into his chest. "You two looked like you were having a great time with your friends. Hanging back for some alone time?"

Kei wriggled free of Minoru's grip and dried the sweat off of his face with his shirt. "No, no! We were just talking. But what are you doing outside in your drawers? The same?"

Minoru closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you see, I was getting some laundry done tonight and I was just waiting for it to be…"

"So why aren't you just wearing some old dirty clothes?"

The doctor stood open-mouthed, trying to find an explanation for Kei, but his words soon turned into a strained groan as something pulled hard at his waistband, drawing him backward. Kei and Mizuho looked on with eyebrows raised as Minoru's wife Konoha, clad in a light blue nightie, tugged the man back toward the house.

"He's got some chores to do, kids," she explained. "Don't worry about it!"

"Kei! Ms. Kazami! Come on!"

Man and wife turned around to Koishi's command and saw everyone waving them off. They took off down the street with all of the obvious jokes swimming in their heads.

Soon, the seven had made it to the woods surrounding Lake Kizaki. Once again, the only sound accompanying their footsteps and small talk was the chirping of the crickets. The full moon light peeked through the treetops, providing some extra illumination in addition to the flashlights Matagu, Kei, Kaede, and Koishi held.

"It's not like this is a very secluded lake," Kei suggested to the leader, trying to feign disinterest. "Why would aliens land here?"

Mizuho jabbed Kei in the side, eyeing him.

"What?" Kei asked, widening his eyes.

"It's not like there's anything interesting here. It's more of a romantic hotspot," Kaede interjected. Hyosuke nodded slowly, still a bit shaken from the _Unsolved Mysteries_ presentation.

Mizuho pointed a finger in the air matter-of-factly. "But that's the perfect place creatures from another world would appear, Ms. Misumi." She then nudged Kei as if to say, "Play along."

"I think we need to split up in teams of three," Matagu announced. He pulled the sides of his jacket forward and turned to face the group. "Kei, you come with Koishi and me…"

As soon as Matagu turned around, the Kusanagis were nowhere to be found.

"Okay, they're on their own right now," Matagu said, shrugging a shoulder.

Koishi sighed. "Of course they are…"

"That was fast!" Hyosuke shouted, hunching down a little. His voice rose and his words spilled out. "You were right about these spacemen, Matagu. They've taken our friend and our teacher! Just like that! Without a trace! AYE…"

Hyosuke stopped in his verbal tracks as Ichigo deftly rapped a fist on the back of his head.

"Calm down, Hyosuke," she said, grabbing the boy by his shirt sleeve and pulling him in the direction of the lake. "Kaede, let's take him and start looking. It may even be fun."

"Um…right…" Kaede said, gulping. "I guess we'll leave Koishi and you to it, then." And with that, she ran to join her group.

Koishi and Matagu looked at each other for a moment. Both of them giggled and then walked off to the northwest part of the woods.

A column of bright, sparkling light swirled into another dark part of the forest. The column dissipated to reveal Kei and Mizuho falling rear-first onto the grassy floor with a thud.

"Are you okay, Mizuho?" Kei inquired, checking himself and going over to his wife.

"Just fine, Kei," Mizuho nearly whispered, dusting herself off. She looked around, and everything about the area looked normal enough—lots of leaves on the grass, a few yellow flowers sprouting near some of the trees. "Marie!" she called out. "Did you transport us here?"

Sure enough, Marie was sitting a few feet away from the couple, clapping and cooing while looking at a nearby hedge.

"I'm asking you why!" Mizuho questioned again. She walked toward him, but she was suddenly bumped back, nearly falling over.

"Ms. Kazami!" Kei let out, referring to Mizuho by her maiden name as he put his arms around her to steady her. "What was that?" He then looked around as something gleaming caught his eye, wrapping all around them. Kei moved to go past a couple of tall trees he recognized, ones that marked them being close to Lake Kizaki, and he reached out to go past them. Instead, his hand met some kind of invisible wall, smooth as glass.

"We're surrounded by something!" he cried out, turning around and gasping.

"Marie! Physical transport us to our friends! This is a Priority One!" Mizuho ordered. But Marie did nothing, instead continuing to clap and make elated noises. Suddenly, the little wonder looked up to the sky, pointing a hand upward. Kei and Mizuho looked up to see a round shape gliding above them, a small nozzle emerging from a bottom port.

"Hey," Mizuho said, examining the shape. It was a small silver saucer, and it came to a halt above them. "That looks like one of those saucers from the movie tonight."

Kei gasped again, pointing along with her. "Uh huh. And that means that the thing pointing at us is…"

Before Kei could finish his sentence, bolts of light began to fly out of the saucer's attachment, each one a different bright color. They ricocheted off of the unseen walls and careened toward Kei and Mizuho. The duo screamed and ran in different directions, ducking and jumping and clinging to anywhere safe, but all for naught. Kei threw his arms around Mizuho and cradled her head to his chest, but they toppled over to the ground as a laser hit him right in the behind, followed by several more aimed for the same target. Some even hit Mizuho there as they tried to roll out of the way. All they could do was take the multicolored assault.

"This is insane! OW OW!" Kei yelled, scrunching closer to Mizuho and backing her into a corner of the barrier. "This…this…"

"Certainly a better show than what you two were watching!"

At that moment, the bolts vanished, and Kei and Mizuho snapped up to look at a small, blue-haired girl standing next to Marie. She crooked a finger and out came Miruru from behind the hedge, ceasing a controlling dance as the saucer came to Maho's hand.

"This was you, all along, Maho!" Mizuho screeched. "What is your problem?! You could've killed Kei and I!"

Maho started laughing, and Marie and Miruru began to nuzzle each other as the Kazami girl spoke. "Aw, those were just blanks," she explained. "Those lasers are just good for bein' a pain in the butt."

"Just like you, Maho!" Kei said, growling as he rushed up to meet Maho. "I swear…"

He couldn't swear anything, as the young man ran face-first into the invisible wall, and this time Mizuho caught him from behind.

Maho snickered and reached into her bag, beckoning Miruru to follow her. "Yeah, yeah. I'll let you two out soon. But I gotta say hi to your friends first! Later!" She then snapped her fingers, Miruru moved her arms from side to side, and the two disappeared in the light of a physical transport.

Meanwhile, Kei and Mizuho stumbled back, their bodies sore and their breathing heavy. But Kei ran into something new, finding himself wrapped up by two limbs. He then looked up and jolted slightly when he saw Hatsuho embracing him.

"Gee, you're breathing hard already. Save some energy for me," she said in a sweet voice.

" _Mother!"_ Mizuho snapped, trying to pry her husband from the woman's grip.

"What? No one can hear or see us in here. Besides, I just want a hug from my little honor student," Hatsuho responded in her sugary tone, not letting go. "You told me his grades are improving, so I assume you're taking care of the rewards."

Kei and Mizuho looked at each other again, their cheeks firing up.

Hatsuho chuckled and drew a small remote from underneath her black blouse. She pressed a button, and one of the walls turned into an electronic screen, showing a double picture of the rest of the group.

"Let's keep an eye on things, shall we?" she asked, throwing her arms around her daughter and her son-in-law. "I just love this part!"

Hyosuke, Ichigo, and Kaede finally made it to the lakeside, which was just as quiet as everywhere else. The water's surface didn't move an inch, light from the moon and the stars bouncing off of it.

Ichigo looked to the left and the right. The other two copied her movements.

"No aliens here," Ichigo remarked. "It's quite peaceful here."

"Yep yep, Ichigo! No need to hang out around here anymore!" Hyosuke said hurriedly. He whipped around to go back the way they came. "Let's round up the others and go get some late-night waffles."

Ichigo and Kaede both yanked Hyosuke down to the ground, both shaking their heads at him.

"Down, boy," Ichigo said dully.

"Yeah, Hyosuke," Kaede added, sitting down and leaning on his shoulder. "Why don't we walk along the lake for a bit? It's nice and quiet and it's a full moon out. Besides, there are no aliens anyway."

Now it was Hyosuke's turn to shake his head. He brought a hand to his face and groaned. "But what about that last aircraft when we were at the countryside?"

"Government," Ichigo interrupted, looking out to Lake Kizaki, her eyes fixated on the natural beauty in front of her. "Or so they say."

"Yeah…" Hyosuke mumbled. He then straightened up and continued, "And I'm gonna clean up the government! I'll get to the bottom of it! You'll see!"

Kaede hugged her boyfriend and said, "We sure will. Anyway, not everything was scary tonight. The movie was pretty funny, especially with that one alien in the racecar."

As Kaede finished, something low and rumbling broke through the conversation, followed up by flashing green lights. The group turned to the east to see a rectangular shape darting along the verdant waterside. As it chugged closer, the object appeared to be a small go-cart with white stripes and green headlights. At the wheel was the driver, clad in a white suit; however, green clawed hands gripped the wheel and two bloodshot eyes over a fang-filled green face stared right at the humans.

Hyosuke and Kaede screamed, but the roar of the vehicle eclipsed their exhalations. Ichigo took one look at the driver and fainted while Hyosuke gathered Kaede in his arms and sped off down the way.

"No way! No way!" Kaede screeched. She peeked over Hyosuke's shoulder to see the alien motorist keeping a steady pace behind them, beeping the horn of the cart once, and letting out a fiendish giggle. She then dug her head into his shoulder. "Where's the government explanation now!"

"Man, oh man, why does Matagu always have to be right?!" Hyosuke shouted. His legs and lungs burned as he dashed away from the pursuer, but he couldn't stop running. He just couldn't.

The creature then turned to the left and drove a little faster, getting right beside the couple. The thing turned its monstrous head and lifted its right hand off of the wheel. Hyosuke and Kaede looked right at it and screamed again, drowned out by the engine.

"Boo," the alien said, and it flicked a finger right into the middle of Hyosuke's head. With Kaede in his arms, the boy tumbled into the water of Lake Kizaki.

A few seconds passed, but the two eventually paddled to the lakeside, drenched with water and mud. The growl of the engine was steady as the cart was stopped, and the teens took turns wiping mud off of their faces and clothes. They jumped back into the water as the two clawed hands rocketed right to their feet, detached from the driver. Shivering and with teeth chattering, Hyosuke and Kaede reached down to touch the appendages, only to discover that they were empty rubber costume gloves. They looked up, and there was Maho, smirking and dangling the demonic head, a cheap Halloween mask, in front of them. The girl stepped on the gas and took off toward the forest.

"That…that was no alien…" Kaede stammered, wringing moisture out of her fiery hair. She raised an eyebrow and then looked at Hyosuke.

"Small blue-haired girl…" Hyosuke said, the realization hitting him. "Matagu said someone like that was Kei's little cousin. Always making some kind of joke… That little…"

"Did you hear that?"

Matagu looked away from the sky he was gazing at and back to Koishi, who was looking to the north, where the lake was. There was indeed some rumbling out there.

"Sounded like a car engine," Koishi said. "Who'd be driving out here?"

"Probably some kid with a new car taking a joyride or something, Koishi," Matagu said, sighing. Like most of his alien hunts, this one was barren. He stared at Koishi, who had her attention focused beyond the forest. "Not too fun, huh?"

"Hmm," Koishi answered, going farther into the trees. "At least we're out and about. It's nice to have a little adventure." She then looked at Matagu, who had fallen in step with her, and said, "I'm glad I came."

Matagu smiled and looked straight ahead, removing his jacket and reaching out. "You cold?"

"It's summertime, Matagu."

"Oh. Haha. Right…"

Now Koishi smiled. The crickets continued to play their song as the kids walked along, only to fade in the background as Matagu said, "Wonder what the others are up to."

Koishi scowled and twirled a chestnut lock around a finger. "Probably making out, at least all of them besides Ichigo."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Matagu said.

"Yeah, well, maybe it gets old," Koishi replied, her voice rising. "Everyone gets to have someone while I stand in the background."

Matagu tilted his head to the side in agreement. "Preach," he responded. "Forever alone…at least I have you, uh…" he stopped for just a second and tapped himself on the head. "You guys. But yeah, forever."

Koishi stopped and turned toward Matagu. She looked him right in his eyes, trying to suppress her frown. "Matagu…it's not going to be forever."

"Sure feels like it," the boy said, slinging his jacket over his blue-shirted shoulder. "I mean, Ichigo doesn't mind, I guess. And you're tired of it. So why not give up on it all?"

"Because, Matagu!" Koishi said loudly, stepping closer to him. "You can't give up. It's not always immediate and it can get a little daunting, but you can't be depressed or just live through others. You must press on with your dreams, all of them, even love. You have to move forward and find what you love."

Crickets. A gust of wind pushing leaves around the ground and trees to the side. No words for a moment. Matagu looked at Koishi with his mouth open, a few strands of black hair falling across his forehead. He took a few steps closer to the girl. His astonished look morphed to a small smile. The teens moved even closer, his right hand and her left hand soon touching. They looked down, and Matagu and Koishi hooked their fingers together, clasping their hands together.

"So…" Koishi whispered.

"So…" Matagu repeated.

The two blushed and kept their hands together for a moment. They then relaxed their grip, and Matagu said, "So, just want to check downtown out tomorrow? There's a lot to do."

Koishi grinned and spoke, "Sure, why not? Just see where it goes."

Staring into each other's eyes, Matagu and Koishi leaned in, but then backed up, squeezed hands, and began to draw them out. They would have let go if it weren't for a small hand, purple in color, reaching to touch theirs.

The teens turned to the side, and there they saw Miruru touching her pointy little hand to theirs. Maho's companion hovered in midair, squeaking happily. As if in realization, Miruru opened its mouth and reached around its back, putting a small skeleton mask over its face. Unable to let out a scary snarl, Miruru instead cried out with a happy noise. That's all it took for Koishi and Matagu to scream and charge into the forest, making tracks all the way to the lakeside. Still screaming, the two silenced themselves as they came upon Lake Kizaki, where everything just got more crazy. Hyosuke and Kaede were yelling in rage, chasing Maho as she dangled her alien mask in front of them as she led them around in a circle. Ichigo had her camera ready, snapping pictures of everything going on, and then getting one of Matagu and Koishi.

Off to the side stood Kei and Mizuho, Hatsuho walking off to greet the incoming kids and try and explain the chaos. Kei and Mizuho locked hands and started laughing.

"Wow," Kei said between laughs. "I guess it's 'Mission Accomplished' when it comes to your mom and your sister."

"Mission, matchmaking, mischief…" Mizuho said, smiling as wide as her husband. "Yeah, Mission Accomplished!"


End file.
